8.4 stars.
I had a very distinct feeling the rating of 6.6 stars was not accurate, so I did a little bit of investigating. You might be surprised at what I discovered, and you probably won't care.
I will cut to the chase: the average rating as of today is 6.6, but when I do the math it is actually 6.9. The total number of user votes is 1696, but the total number of stars is 11,701. 11,701 divided by 1696 = 6.90 stars. I simply took the total number of votes, and I must be able to assume none of those votes are duplicates, am I right? And if not duplicates, please tell me why your numbers and mine don't jibe.
From this moment onward will I have to start calculating these for myself? You might ask: who cares? I don't know, but why have a rating scale in the first place if nobody is counting, or keeping score? I have to start calculating total stars divided by total votes for every movie that matters. I was so moved by this film and then I saw it averaged 6.6 stars, and my intuition lit up like a rock concert.
If you've not seen it yet, I must tell you I feel this movie is better than you think it will be, and better than "they" are telling you... this is at least a 6.9 star movie and should be heralded as such. You might ask: what is the difference between 6.6 and 6.9 stars? My answer is: a world of difference.
Now if you still doubt my logic, look at the current reviews (as of today, but I'm sure it's changed vastly since). As of today there are 19 reviews (written reviews). I use the reviews as a secondary method of rating a film, because you can't hide the truth in the reviews. They are right there in front of us, numbers and all. Two of the reviews are not rated, and the majority of reviews are 8's and 9's. There is one outlier 1 star rating. I have not yet submitted mine. I looked over the two unrated reviews and gave them stars based on what they indicated. One states the following tagline: "special". The reviewer goes on to say this is a special movie, or a smart movie. Also there is praise saying things like "the humor" and "the performances, the idea itself are more than seductive". There is nothing but above average praise. I am guessing this reviewer would give it at least a 7, maybe an 8, 9, or even a 10, so I will be conservative and give it a 7. The second unrated review tagline says: "Above-average Hallmark Christmas romance flick". There are some glowing descriptions, and some less than, so I will give this a 6 (even though it's probably a 7 or 8). Now we have some numbers to work with. Of the 19 reviews the total points are 141. Divide 141 by 19 = 7.42 stars. And that includes the 1 star rating that was thrown in the mix. Don't get me started on this lonely little 1 star rating, which was probably not by chance. I'm betting that someone said to someone of importance: "hey this rating is askew, we need a one star to tip the scales." Why? It could be any number of reasons, I won't go into the monetary, political, or social ramifications.
Is the rating system somewhat rigged in favor of something, and who knows what that "something" might be? Is it due to producers fudging the numbers to bolster agendas, and/or line their pockets? Who knows. What I know, and the whole point of this diatribe is that 'Love Always, Santa' SURPASSES a 6.6 star rating. This is indeed one of the rare gems of Hallmark Christmas films. Please give us what we deserve, to appreciate a movie for the level of praise or criticism it rightfully deserves, thereby affording us the opportunity to make an informed choice.
I had a very distinct feeling the rating of 6.6 stars was not accurate, so I did a little bit of investigating. You might be surprised at what I discovered, and you probably won't care.
I will cut to the chase: the average rating as of today is 6.6, but when I do the math it is actually 6.9. The total number of user votes is 1696, but the total number of stars is 11,701. 11,701 divided by 1696 = 6.90 stars. I simply took the total number of votes, and I must be able to assume none of those votes are duplicates, am I right? And if not duplicates, please tell me why your numbers and mine don't jibe.
From this moment onward will I have to start calculating these for myself? You might ask: who cares? I don't know, but why have a rating scale in the first place if nobody is counting, or keeping score? I have to start calculating total stars divided by total votes for every movie that matters. I was so moved by this film and then I saw it averaged 6.6 stars, and my intuition lit up like a rock concert.
If you've not seen it yet, I must tell you I feel this movie is better than you think it will be, and better than "they" are telling you... this is at least a 6.9 star movie and should be heralded as such. You might ask: what is the difference between 6.6 and 6.9 stars? My answer is: a world of difference.
Now if you still doubt my logic, look at the current reviews (as of today, but I'm sure it's changed vastly since). As of today there are 19 reviews (written reviews). I use the reviews as a secondary method of rating a film, because you can't hide the truth in the reviews. They are right there in front of us, numbers and all. Two of the reviews are not rated, and the majority of reviews are 8's and 9's. There is one outlier 1 star rating. I have not yet submitted mine. I looked over the two unrated reviews and gave them stars based on what they indicated. One states the following tagline: "special". The reviewer goes on to say this is a special movie, or a smart movie. Also there is praise saying things like "the humor" and "the performances, the idea itself are more than seductive". There is nothing but above average praise. I am guessing this reviewer would give it at least a 7, maybe an 8, 9, or even a 10, so I will be conservative and give it a 7. The second unrated review tagline says: "Above-average Hallmark Christmas romance flick". There are some glowing descriptions, and some less than, so I will give this a 6 (even though it's probably a 7 or 8). Now we have some numbers to work with. Of the 19 reviews the total points are 141. Divide 141 by 19 = 7.42 stars. And that includes the 1 star rating that was thrown in the mix. Don't get me started on this lonely little 1 star rating, which was probably not by chance. I'm betting that someone said to someone of importance: "hey this rating is askew, we need a one star to tip the scales." Why? It could be any number of reasons, I won't go into the monetary, political, or social ramifications.
Is the rating system somewhat rigged in favor of something, and who knows what that "something" might be? Is it due to producers fudging the numbers to bolster agendas, and/or line their pockets? Who knows. What I know, and the whole point of this diatribe is that 'Love Always, Santa' SURPASSES a 6.6 star rating. This is indeed one of the rare gems of Hallmark Christmas films. Please give us what we deserve, to appreciate a movie for the level of praise or criticism it rightfully deserves, thereby affording us the opportunity to make an informed choice.